So many activities to do around Addo

When you mention Addo, most people think elephants.  They wouldn't be wrong though BUT, these days Addo is so much more than just elephants.  Crisscross Adventures is a tour and adventure activity company based in the Sundays River Valley and they offer a wide range of activities from tours to the Addo Elephant National Park to quad biking, canoe safaris on the Sundays River and sand boarding.  Check out their new promotional video and tell me you don't want to go and explore and experience the valley after seeing it. 

Sand Sledding at Sundays River Mouth video

The guys from Chasing the Rainbow went cruising on the Sundays River Ferry and topped off the trip sand sledding on the Colchester dunes near the river mouth with Captain Les.  Check the video they made doing this awesome activity right here on our doorstep. 

Tsitsikamma, the gateway to the Garden Route

The Tsitsikamma truly is a special place.  This breathtaking stretch of the Garden Route is where mountains, indigenous forests, deep gorges and lush vegetation skirt the rugged coastline of cliffs and sandy beaches. The area has an abundance of indigenous flora – ancient yellowwood trees and magnificent fynbos plants – as well as birdlife.  For the adventurous there are various activities catering for everybody from heart stopping adrenaline filled adventure to relaxed soft adventures.  Hope you enjoy this destination video of the Tsitsikamma Tourism Association.

Experience South Africa in one minute

I spent the week in Durban at the annual Tourism Indaba hosted by South African Tourism and can't but help to feel very positive about the country's tourism industry.  To tell the truth, tourism is the industry that has the potential to create the most jobs in South Africa and can become one of the keys to cutting down on the country's unemployment rate.  But that isn't what this post is about.  As it is Video Friday, I am sharing the latest SA Tourism promotional video.  Experiencing SA in one minute.  

Discover Freedom this holiday season

I know I've posted this video before, but with summer holidays here and holiday makers and tourists flocking into the city I though it would be appropriate to post it again.  When I was working for Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism this destination marketing video was one of my projects and I still get excited about the destination when I watch it.

Ziplining at Pine Lodge

Looking for something a little different to do around Port Elizabeth this summer?  Why not try out Pine Lodge's zipline?  Even though it's been there for probably a year or two now, Pine Lodge has decided to really start pushing all the activities one can do at the resort to both in-house guests as well as locals and other visitors to the city.  The three slide zipline is located right next to the resort and is nice and easy to do.  It's high enough to give you the real zipline thrill yet manageable for both young and old.  The platforms also give great views of the surrounding area and coastline and you can see all the way to the lighthouse at Cape Recife.

Penguin Island Cruise with Raggy Charters video

At the recent 2nd annual South African Tourism Lilizela Awards Raggy Charters of Port Elizabeth won the Marine Experience category in the customer experience section.  It is a huge accomplishment not just for Lloyd Edwards and his team but also a feather in the cap of Port Elizabeth and Algoa Bay.  It proves that this area can compete with the best the rest of South Africa has to offer as far as marine experiences   I came across this video by Ellie Bottomley on YouTube that she made of their cruise out to St Croix Island and the sightings along the way.

Bridge Street Brewery tour

Micro breweries are becoming the in thing lately with a lot of the younger beer drinkers preferring to drink the locally brewed beers at these establishments.  The Bridge Street Brewery brews their four in-house produced beers on site at the restaurant in the lower Baakens Valley and patrons and visitors can go on a short brewery tour of the facilities.  On the night I took the picture one of the assistant brewers took us around.  You could see his learning from the best, Lex Mitchell himself. 

Tiger photography

A visitor to the Seaview Preditor Park getting some close-up shots of one of the park's tiger cubs

Tsitsikamma Segway Tours - Tsitsikamma 5 of 5

One of the newest attractions in the Tsitsikamma is the Segway Tours that starts in Storms River Village.  After a short introduction and a training run on the lawn, the tour heads out through the village before entering the edge of the forest and the adjoining pine plantation.  Family Firefly absolutely loved the experience and even though the minimum age is 10 the guide allowed my 7 year old Drama Princess to go, holding on to her segway just about every step of the way.  He was brilliant. 

Tsitsikamma National Park - Tsitsikamma 4 of 5

In my book the Tsitsikamma National Park is one of the most beautiful places in South Africa.  Indigenous forest, deep gorges and sheer vertical cliffs reaching down to black rocks being battered by the Indian Ocean.  A shoreline enviable by many other places.  The Tsitsikamma National Park was proclaimed in 1964 and became the first marine protection area in Africa.  Today it's one of the most visited places on the Garden Route with most visitors opting to do the 1km walk to the Storms River mouth and the three suspension bridges.

Treetops Canopy Tour - Tsitsikamma 3 of 5

The Treetops Canopy Tour in the forest at Storms River Village was the first forest zipline experience of its kind in South Africa and over the years has developed into an activity that one just cannot miss when in the area.  The Treetops Canopy Tour consists of 10 "fufi" slides through the indigenous forest.  Some of the platforms between the slides are as high as 30 meters up and one gets some magnificent views of the forest during your 2 1/2 hour adventure.   

Little trains

On the first Sunday of the month families with young children (mostly but definitively not exclusively) flock to the Port Elizabeth Model Locomotive Society's venue in Fernglen to ride these beautiful little trains.  It only costs R6 per person for a ride which will take you around the yard on a couple of loops, through a tunnel and over the Great Grass River bridge.  There are both miniature diesel as well as steam trains and here two of the steam loco's are taking on passengers and getting ready for a spin.

Diving lessons

I'm a qualified scuba diver but I haven't "blown bubbles" as they say for probably 10 years.  So I was very excited when Ocean Divers International (ODI) invited a couple of us from the office for an educational.  Two of us had dived before while the other four were all virgin divers.  It was such an amazing experience getting back in the pool with the full kit on again and brushing up on the skills.  The next day we headed out to sea and unfortunately the conditions weren't ideal (I can tell you about the baritone Louw brothers but I will spare them - and them - that), but it was exhilarating to be under water again.  We really are fortunate here in Port Elizabeth.  Our coastline both inside Algoa Bay as well as on the Wildside has the most beautiful reefs, colourful soft coral and is teeming with life with everything from small fish to ragged tooth sharks. 

Grysbok Reserve tour

Alan Fogarty of Alan Tours does a very informative tour of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University's Grysbok Nature Reserve.  Usually the tours are conducted in an open 4x4, but on the day we went the weather was a bit iffy and he took us in his closed vehicle.  We stopped a couple of times during the tour and Alan showed us the indigenous dune vegetation and fynbos as well as the plants that the Khoisan used for medicinal and other purposes.  The biggest surprise for me was the fact that I have driven past the reserve thousands of times and have never realised that its such a diverse area.

Donkin Visitor Information Centre

Part of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism's newly revamped Visitor Information Centre at the Donkin Reserve. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is busy with an upgrade of the Donkin Reserve and part of the process was the renovation of the lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's cottage. The tourist info office is situated in the lighthouse keeper's cottage and with the work being done to the building got a upgrade.

Elephant viewing

Addo Elephant National Park is probably the most popular destination as a day trip out of Port Elizabeth. Visitors can either go to the park in their own vehicles or with a tour operator. Once at the park you can drive through the park in the vehicle you came in as it is a national park, or you can book an open vehicle game drive guided by a game ranger. In the days when I was still a tourist guide I used to go to Addo quite often. At one stage I was there at least 5 or 6 times a week. Here is a tourist busy elephant viewing from the comfort of an air conditioned bus, which was quite handy on a hot and dusty day.

Happy Valley characters

Happy Valley is quite a popular spot with families with small children on a calm summers evening. The attraction of Happy Valley is the colourful lights and characters from fairy tales, rhymes and popular kids movies. In this pic you can see all the characters from Winnie the Pooh as well as The Three Blind Mice and The Three Little Pigs.

Smartie (Bibo) Train

Is there anybody out there who grew up in Port Elizabeth who doesn't remember the Smartie train at Kings Beach? I remember how we went to the little kiddies pool by the train and went on rides afterwards. I still have a photo somewhere with us kids standing in front of the train. Today the pool is a quad bike / go-cart track, but the train still goes, although not called the Smartie Train anymore. The Bibo Train runs on Sundays and also cater for school groups and birthday parties.

Miniature trains

On the first Sunday of each month the Port Elizabeth Model Locomotive Society brings out their miniature trains to the delight of young and old. It is an outing enjoyed by both young and old and cost next to nothing. R2.50 per ride. (1 Euro = R13, 1 US Dollar = R10 and 1Pound = R13.80)